On the occasion of the 30 August – International Day of the Disappeared – Centre for Civic Education (CCE) urges the Prosecutor’s office of Montenegro, as well as other competent governing bodies, such as the Commission on Missing Persons of the Government of Montenegro, to, per regulation, with the adopted declarations and strategic documents, put in more effort towards elucidating destinies of all the disappeared during the war activities in the 90s in SFR Yugoslavia.
Prime Minister’s question time and MP’s questions through the prism of statistics
Centre for Civic Education (CCE) has published the review „Prime Minister’s question time and MPs questions through the prism of statistics“ which provides an insight into the application of this institute of parliamentary supervision during the last convocation of the Parliament of Montenegro from the numerical point.
The statistical review indicates that MPs of the 26th convocation of the Parliament of Montenegro have asked 1016 questions, out of which 125 have been directed to the Prime Minister and 891 questions to his ministers. Looking at it on year by year basis, the MPs have asked most of the questions in 2019, when 402 questions were submitted, and the least questions were asked during in 2017 when there were only 52 questions.
Questions were submitted by the MPs that support the Government more than by the opposition, which in certain sense is a result of the boycott of the Parliament by the part of the opposition within a longer period. That has decreased the efficiency of this supervisory function of the Parliament because most of the questions asked were in direction of the promotion of Governmental policies and not to problematize the decisions and actions of the government.
The SEC ignores missing
The Centre for Civic Education (CCE) yesterday sent an initiative to the State Election Commission (SEC) requesting the SEC to annul the decision to supply the MEC Berane with ballots from the reserves of ballots in the number that the MEC Berane indicated to be missing for their municipality. However, the SEC rejected this timely and useful initiative at the session today, and the consequences can be serious.
The MEC Berane sent a letter to the SEC on 26 August 2020, stating that yesterday began the procedure of marking ballots for the elections scheduled for 30 August 2020. The MEC of Berane pointed out that on that occasion, it was determined that six ballots were missing, with numbers as follows: 052848, 052849, 052867, 052869, 052879 and 052880. The SEC decided at today’s session to separate the missing number of ballots for the MEC Berane from the reserves of ballots that are kept in the SEC, which will be recorded in the minutes, with the indication of numbers of assigned tickets.
We remind that on 17 August 2020, the SEC made a Decision on the form and appearance of ballots, manner, place and control of printing, verification and distribution of ballots and ballot templates, as well as the destruction of the matrix for the elections of MPs to be held on 30 August 2020. The CCE pointed out that the allocation of ballots from the reserves for these purposes is not in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 3 of the SEC’s Decision.
Human Rights School – XXV generation
Centre for Civic Education (CCE)
announces CALL for participants of XXV generation of
HUMAN RIGHTS SCHOOL
- school for studying human rights from theory to practice -
If you are a high-school pupil, wishing to learn about human rights, socialising with peers, widening and exchanging experiences with other young people motivated to actively engage in resolving problems which society is facing, if you assess that you do not have enough information and you wish to acquire knowledge and develop skills of active participation in advocating and promoting human rights in your school and the community you live in, then the Human Rights School is a right place and opportunity for you!
The decision on enabling voting of persons in self-isolation must be legal and safe for all actors of the election process
Centre for Civic Education (CCE) is surprised with the opinion of the Institute of Public Health of Montenegro (IPHM), submitted to the State Election Commission (SEC), following the decisions of the Constitutional Court, based on the CCE Initiative, to annul the essential provisions Technical recommendations of the SEC which refer to persons to whom a measure of self-isolation has been imposed. This opinion is contrary to everything that the epidemiological experts, including the leading people of the IPHM, have been telling us for the last six months.
The IPHM’s allegations, as reported by media, that risk is minimized in this manner are absurd. This “risk minimization” in the practice recommended by the IPHM is done by allowing persons from self-isolation, for whom we do not know whether they are infected or not, to vote at the polling station. With this, the IPHM also relativizes the justification of the self-isolation measure, as it is not reasonable that IPHM assesses which opportunity is sufficiently appropriate for the temporary suspension of these measures, and which is not.